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An estimated N675bn was paid in cash bribes to Nigerian public officials this year, according to a new survey by the National Bureau of Statistics and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.   The report, which was released on Friday said out of all Nigerians who had at least one contact with a public official in the 12 months prior to the 2019 survey, 30.2 per cent paid a bribe to, or were asked to pay a bribe by, a public official. “This means that, although still relatively high, the prevalence of bribery in Nigeria has undergone a moderate, yet statistically significant, decrease since 2016, when it stood at 32.3 per cent,” it added. According to the survey, cash continues to be the dominant type of bribe. It said, “More than 93 per cent of all bribes paid in 2019 was paid in cash, a slightly larger share than in 2016. According to the 2019 survey, the average cash bribe paid is N5,754, a sum equivalent to roughly $52 in purchasing power parity. “Overall, it is estimated that a total of roughly N675bn was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2019, corresponding to 0.52 per cent of the entire Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria.” According to the report, the economic cost of bribery becomes even more palpable when considering that, on average, bribe-payers pay an amount equivalent to six per cent of the average annual income of Nigerians.               Source: https://www.today.ng/

Nigerian authorities have detained journalist Omoyele Sowore a day after his bail was upheld by a high court. Images on Friday show Mr Sowore pinned to the floor during scuffles with state security agents at a court hearing. The former presidential candidate and founder of the news site Sahara Reporters was first detained in August after he called for revolution. Despite being granted bail in October, authorities have continued to hold him, sparking an outcry from his supporters. His co-defendant Olawale Bakare is also in the custody of state security services. In videos shared by Sahara Reporters, several men attempted to drag Mr Sowore from an Abuja courtroom where he had been summoned for a hearing.                   Source: https://www.bbc.com/

Rotimi Amaechi has announced a physical attack on him by some people he described as “misguided Nigerians.” The Nigerian transport minister said he was on a climate change summit in Spain when some violent Nigerians charged at him. He said the attackers were summarily restrained by the police in Madrid, leaving him unscathed. “Some minutes ago, I was attacked by a few misguided Nigerians while on national assignment at a climate change event in Madrid, Spain,” Mr Amaechi said on Twitter Friday evening. “They were quickly repelled by the Spanish police before they could do any harm. I am fine. I was not hurt. Thanks for your support & prayers.” Mr Amaechi has in the past used the Twitter account to share personal information as well as information on his activities as a minister. In October he shared pictures of he and his wife monitoring a government project. It was not immediately clear which group was responsible for the coordinated harassment of the minister in Spain. His spokesperson, David Iyofor, did not immediately return requests for comments.                         Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/

Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, has been charged with bank fraud and money laundering for moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through United States bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of airplanes.  The international airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, has also been charged with bank fraud and committing aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme. “Onyema allegedly leveraged his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive while using falsified documents to commit fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We will diligently protect the integrity our banking system from being corrupted by criminals, even when they disguise themselves in a cloak of international business.” Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the indictment, “Allen Onyema’s status as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He corrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and trickery came to a skidding halt. DEA would like to thank the many law enforcement partners and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office who aided in making this investigation a success.” “This case is a prime example of why IRS-CI seeks to partner and leverage its expertise in an effort to thwart those seeking to exploit our nation’s financial system,” said Thomas J. Holloman, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office. “With the importance of our banking system to the movement of money around the world, those attempting to use intricate schemes to commit bank fraud through the use of falsified documents and other means should know that the odds are now heavily stacked against them as law enforcement is combining its talents to protect the sanctity and integrity of the nation’s financial system.”                       **Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/ceo-nigerian-airline-indicted-bank-fraud-and-money-laundering

An Indian national residing in the Victoria Island area of Lagos has been accused of guarding his apartment with a lion he smuggled into the country.  The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit has sent operatives to the apartment located at Muri Okunola Street in Victoria Island, following a petition by residents of the area.  According to a report by PUNCH, Head of the task force team, Yinka Egbeyemi, said he now has the instruction of the Commissioner for Environment and Ministry of Agriculture to tranquilise the animal. He said the lion would be subsequently transferred to a zoo. Egbeyemi noted that the Indian might also be prosecuted, as he would have to explain how he brought the carnivore into the state. He said, “Our men have been there since Friday. They will remove the animal on Monday. “The Indian man rented the apartment and lied to the owner of the house that he wanted to be staying there. “He claimed that the house was under renovation and brought the animal there. “The neighbours saw the thing and that was how we got a petition from them. “We have sent him a letter that he should come and talk to us. "We will like to know how he got the animal. “He will have to tell us why he is rearing a lion in a city; that is a wild animal and anything can happen. So, he may be prosecuted.”                     **This story was written by http://saharareporters.com

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr David Lyon, has won the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State. The Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Faraday Orunmuwese, announced this on Monday morning. Professor Orunmuwese returned Lyon as the winner of the keenly contested election after scoring the highest number of votes in the poll. The APC candidate polled a total of 352,552 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Duoye Diri, who scored 143,172 votes.   Of the first six LGAs whose results were collated, Lyon dominated the election with a difference of over 80,000 votes and extended the lead by an additional 100,000 votes after the results of the remaining two local governments were collated. The Governor-elect won in six LGAs while his PDP rival claimed the remaining two LGAs. Lyon won in Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe, Ogbia, Southern Ijaw, and Yenagoa LGAs while Diri won in Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama LGAs. Declaring the APC candidate as the winner, Professor Orunmuwese explained that a total of 505,884 votes were cast, out of which 499,551 were counted as valid votes. He added that a total of 922,562 voters registered for the election but 517,883 voters were accredited.                 **This story was written by https://www.channelstv.com

An Oklahoma police chief was killed during a fight with one of his own officers while at a conference in Florida, authorities alleged on Monday. Escambia County sheriff's deputies found the body of Mannford Police Chief Lucky Miller when they responded to a report of a physical altercation at the Hilton Garden Inn in Pensacola Beach, on the Gulf Coast near Mobile, Alabama, at about 9 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff's office told NBC News. Mannford is about 20 miles west of Tulsa. Mannford police Officer Michael Patrick Nealey, 49, described as Miller's second-in-command, was arrested and charged with homicide and depraved murder without premeditation. He was held without bond at the Escambia County Jail, according to jail records. The men were in town for a law enforcement conference, authorities said. Records reported no attorney for Nealey who could be asked to comment, and no other details were immediately available. Miller, 44, who had been police chief since 2007, is survived by his wife and three children, according to a statement from the city.                   **This story was written by https://www.nbcnews.com/

Twitter CEO and Co-founder, Jack Dorsey, is currently in Nigeria. Mr. Dorsey arrived on Thursday evening as part of his listening and learning tour across Africa. After Nigeria, Mr Dorsey is also set to visit Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa. CEO of Twitter, meets students of University of Lagos and the Vice Chancellor Prof Ogundipe   While in Nigeria, Mr. Dorsey is expected to meet with leaders in the local technology and business ecosystem.            Source: Channels Television 

The U.S Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, who has been drawn into the Trump impeachment inquiry, will resign. President Donald Trump has confirmed the former Texas governor will depart his administration. Mr Perry's exit had been rumoured for months even before he became entangled in a controversy over Ukraine. US lawmakers are scrutinising Mr Perry's role in efforts to pressure Ukraine's president to investigate Mr Trump's political rival, Joe Biden. At an event in Texas, Mr Trump said: "He's [Rick Perry] been outstanding and we already have his replacement, Rick has done a fantastic job at energy. "But it was time, three years is a long time, and he'll be leaving towards the end of the year." Mr Perry was one of three US officials - dubbed the Three Amigos - who had influence over US policy on Ukraine. On Wednesday, Mr Perry refused to say whether he would comply with a subpoena from Democratic impeachment investigators in Congress who are probing whether Mr Trump illegally sought to have Ukraine open an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.               **This story was written by http://bbcnews.com

The current Frist Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari made a surprise return to Nigeria after spending two months in London. The Frist Lady went to London, United Kingdom in August 2019. Many Nigerians did not hear her for quite a sometime. During her stay in London, she did not make any comments on Nigeria affairs. Many Nigerians were wondering what is going on because she usually comments on events that happens in Nigeria. There were rumors that her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to marry another woman. Also, there was another rumor that Frist Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari has secretly separated from her husband. Aisha Buhari has been vocal about things going on in the country and how her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari is handling the issues in the country. She has criticized her husband a lot about the current state or affairs in the country. Her flight on British Airways landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport around 4:30am. She spoke to the press after she landed at the airport. The Frist Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari commented on a video that went viral on the social media. In that viral video which was posted online, she was visible angry and shouting at the officials in the presidential villa Abuja (Aso Villa). She was prevented from entering the presidential villa and that got her upset.